Pipe-rotating attachment



Jan. 22 1924.

J. D. NIXON PIPE ROTATING ATTACHMENT Filed March 1922 block 6 bolted to which there is a leaf spring Patented Jan. 22, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,481,652 PATENT OFFICE.

JEDDY n. NIXON, or HOUSTON, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR 'ro HOWARD r. SMITH, or. HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS.

PIPE-ROTATING ATTACHMENT.

Application filed March 6, 1922. Serial No. 541,610.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J EDDY D. NIXON, citizen of the United States, residing at Houston, in the county of Harris and State'of.

Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a'Pipe-Rotating Attachment, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in a pipe rotating attach ment for rotaries.

One object of the invention is to provide the combination with a. tong of a yieldable supporting member therefor, all associated with a back up post, whereby the tong may be forced to rotate with the rotary table to turn the pipe on which the tong is engaged.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved type I of back up post which may be readily released from the tong when it is desired to detach the tong from the pipe.

-With the above and other objects in view the invention has particular relation to certain novel features of construction, opera tion and arrangement of parts, an example of which is given in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure l is a plan view of the device and,

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates any conventional form of rotary table commonly used in rotary well drilling. The numeral 2 designates the pipe which extends vertically through said table and to thelower end. of which the drill bit is attached. In the process of well drilling the pipe or stem 2 must often be withdrawn from the bore for renewing the bit, or for other purposes and in withdrawing said stem it is broken up into joints or sections so that it may be more readily handled, and again these joints must be screwed together in making up the stem in the process of letting it down into the bore.

The numeral 3 designates a pipe tong. Any conventional form of tong may be employed. The rotary table is formed with a socket at to receive the lower end of the post 5. Secured to this post and lying on the upper face of the rotary table there is a The thick end of the spring is attache the tong and supports said tong in position to be secured to and released from the drill stem, as the same is being made up for broken up, as above explained. This tong is usually very heavy and difficult to handle, hence the necessity of a support therefor. Fitted over the upper end of the post 5 there is an eccentric 8, whose upper end has the handle 9 by means of which the eccentric may be rotated.

In practice the tong 3 is applied to the joint of pipe in the rotary and the joint above it is held against rotation by a similar tong which is applied thereto and held against rotation by attachment to a stationary anchor beyond the rotary table, in the usual and well known manner. The eccentrio 8 is then turned, bythe handle 9 until its cam face lOcontacts against the tong handle and the rotary table 1 is then started and as. it rotates it will carry the tong 3 around with it and turn the corresponding joint of pipe until it is unscrewed screwed to the joint above it.

It is to be noted that during this operation the string of pipe is held suspended in the bore, the entire string, excepting the upper section turning with the rotary. It often happens in carrying on this work that the string is accidentally dropped, or sometimes picked up too high. In case the string is dropped the tong will move down with 'it against the upper face of the rotary table, the spring 7 yielding to permit this, the handle sliding downwardly along the eccentric 8 without injury to the tong, and when the string is picked. up again to its proper position the spring 7 will carry the tong along with it. In short the yieldable support of the tong permits it to move, within a limited range, up and down with the stem without bending the handle of the tong or otherwise injuring it. In this respect the attachment herein described is a great improvement over similar attachments wherein the tong handle is attached to the back up post. When the upper joint of pipe is entirely unscrewed from the string of pipe it is necessary to release. the tong. The eccentric 8 is driven against the tong with great force, in the process of turning the pipe and it is difficult to release it therefrom, when the ordinary type of back up from, or

lOO

post is used. With the attachment herein described it, is quite an easy matter to re lease the back up post from the tong. This may be done by swinging the handle around until the cam face 10 i's'carried' out of contact with the tong handle. This relieves the strain on the tong and it may be readily released from the joint of pipe;

What I- claim is 1. A device of the character described, inudin a t e n an hor lock, and af sp n upp ing s tons o sai block.

2- A d ice o t e cha acter des r be :including a post, an eccentric rotatably mounted on the post, a tong associated with said eccentric and a yieldable member sup por in said tens in P si ion 3. The combination with a rotary table of a back np post upstanding therefrom, a

ipe tongiassociated" with said back up post but independent thereof and a yie lfdable member supporting sa tong in position;

4. The combination with ;a rotary tabie of a removable bacl; up post upstanding; therefrom, a pipe tQll Q; associated with said back up post but independent thereof; and a y e abl membe UDPQ E iDQT id tong i a position above said table. i I The comb'nation witha rotary table of a joSthpstanding therefrom, an eccentric formed with a cam face rotatable on said post, means for rotating SitlCl eccentric, a tong associated with said eccentric and a yieldable member, normally supporting said tong, isa'position above said table;

6. The combination with a rotary table of a post upstanding therefrom, an eccentric member'rotatably mounted 011 said post and formed with a cam face and means for rotating said member.

7. The combination with a rotary table of an upstandingeccentrichaving a bearing on said table, means for rotating Said eccentric, a tong associated with saidqeccentric and a yieldable member normally supporting the tong 'in position above the tabie'.

S. The combinationwith a rotarywtablc of an eccentric mounted above the tabie. means for rotating said eccentric, mean; associated with said. eccentric, and'a tom; support associated with said eccentric an tong and supporting the latteim i In testimony whereof I have signed mv nam to this specification in the prcsencenf two subscribing witnesses.

JEDD-Y D. N1{;('),\ Witnesses I W, l l. ,Dr xnu', E. V. HA DWAY; 

